According to reports, Saints Coach Sean Payton his hired former 49ers coach Mike Nolan to be New Orleans’ new linebackers coach. Nolan’s father was head coach of the Saints from 1978-1980. He compiled an 18-37 record while with San Francisco from 2005-2008. Nolan’s last job before entering the NFL was LSU linebackers coach from 1985-86.

Former Tulane coach Curtis Johnson is leaving the Chicago Cubs as wide receivers coach, according to sources. He is reportedly weighing another option in the NFL. He was hired by the Bears last season after four seasons as head coach for The Wave.

In recruiting news, tomorrow is national signing day and Louisiana Tech landed a big commitment as Thibodaux cornerback Amik Robertson announced that he plans to sign with the Bulldogs. Neville defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis will announce his school of choice this afternoon. LSU, Alabama and TCU have been recruiting the four-star prospect.

In college hoops, the ULM men’s basketball team used a red hot shooting second half in route to its first Sun Belt Conference victory of the season with a 68-52 win over the visiting Little Rock Trojans on Monday night.

UL-Lafayette was defeated by Arkansas State in conference action, 88-69 in the Cajundome. Louisiana will return to action on Saturday when it visits Georgia State.

Grambling won for the 8th time in nine games at home in a wild game against Mississippi Valley State in overtime, 77-74.

Today Tulane will take on Temple at home.

Tomorrow night a struggling LSU Tigers team will take on South Carolina. The Gamecocks are 7-1 in the SEC and are one of the top defensive teams nationally.

In the NBA the Pelicans get back on the road today to face the Raptors in Toronto to begin a three game road trip.

In the SWAC, Southern Senior outfielder Dondraya Harris was named the preseason conference player of the year Monday.

Former 49ers head coach Mike Nolan is reportedly the new linebackers coach for the Saints. Nolan is the son of former Saints head coach Dick Nolan and he was also a linebackers coach for the LSU Tigers in the mid-1980s. He was the head coach for the 49ers from 2005-2008 and he’s been a defensive coordinator for several teams including the Falcons, Dolphins, Broncos and Ravens.

In recruiting news, Louisiana Tech landed a big commitment as Thibodaux cornerback Amik Robertson announced that he plans to sign with the Bulldogs on Wednesday. Robertson also had offers from Texas, Houston, Kansas State and LSU was even interested.

Neville defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis will announce his school of choice tomorrow afternoon. He’ll make his decision at the gravesite of Tyrell Cameron, the former Franklin Parish football player who died after sustaining a hit on the football in September of 2015. LSU, Alabama and TCU have been recruiting the four-star prospect.

LSU baseball returns most of its position players from a team that won 45 games last season and reached the Super Regionals. But Coach Paul Mainieri says left field is up for grabs. Beau Jordan started a bunch of games in left field last year, but Mainieri says former St. Thomas More standout Brenen Breaux looks like a different player this year…
cut 18 (23) “…for the job”
Opening day is February 17th against Air Force.

College basketball tonight….the Ragin Cajuns host Arkansas State, who is one of the better teams in the league, and ULM is also home to take on Little Rock. Grambling will face Mississippi Valley in Lincoln Parish.

In recruiting news, Louisiana Tech landed a big commitment today as Thibodaux cornerback Amik Robertson announced that he plans to sign with the Bulldogs on Wednesday. Robertson also had offers from Texas, Houston, Kansas State and LSU was even interested.

Plaquemine defensive back Todd Harris says his final four choices are LSU, Alabama, TCU and Arizona State. Harris will announce his decision on National Signing Day.

At the NFL Pro Bowl, the AFC beat the NFC 20-13. Saints QB Drew Brees threw for 112 yards and a touchdown. He was also intercepted once. Former LSU Tiger Odell Beckham had six catches for 93 yards.

And the Saints are reportedly losing wide receivers coach John Morton. He’s reportedly been hired as offensive coordinator for the New York Jets.

The Pelicans ended an up-and-down homestand with a 107-94 loss to Washington.

LSU baseball will have a couple of veterans up the middle as Cole Freeman and Kramer Robertson return as LSU’s starting second baseman and shortstop. Freshman Josh Smith is expected to start at third and Coach Paul Mainieri plans to play Jake Slaugther at first base, which is a new position for the former Ouachita Christian standout…
cut 17 (23) “…so forth”
Opening day for the Tigers is February 17th against Air Force.

College basketball tonight….the Ragin Cajuns host Arkansas State, who is one of the better teams in the league, and ULM is also home to take on Little Rock. Grambling will face Mississippi Valley in Lincoln Parish.

In the final game of an up and down long homestand, the New Orleans Pelicans fell last night 107-94 to the Wizards. It was hardly the same look for the Pels than the Friday night 119-103 victory over the Spurs. But the Wizards are one of the hottest teams in the NBA and they have won eight of the past nine games against the Pelicans. Starting tomorrow night against Toronto, the Pelicans return on the road to play three games.

Sunday in the Pro-Bowl, the AFC held on to defeat the NFC 20-13 in a wild game where Saints quarterback Drew Brees completed 10 of 19 passes for 112 yards and one touchdown. All in all, the NFL All-Star game lacked spectacular play on either side; but the AFC put together just enough drives to get the win.

There’s been an arrest in the latest break-in at Tiger Stadium. LSU Police say two University of Oklahoma students were spotted inside the stadium Sunday around noon. 20-year-old Samuel Holland and 19-year-old Lucas Meacham are charged with unauthorized entry of a place of business and resisting an officer by flight.

Spring practice is underway for the LSU baseball team, who goes into this season with some of the best talent in the country. The Tigers pitching staff has two veteran starters along with a senior closer. LSU also has plenty of experience in the field and Coach Paul Mainieri is pleased about that…:
Cut 16 (20) “in this league”
Opening day for the Tigers is February 17th against Air Force.

In college hoops, the LSU men’s basketball team suffered its 7th straight Saturday after falling to Texas Tech 77-64.

ULM continues its homestand today with a visit from Little Rock at 7. The Warhawks enter the tilt with a 6-15 mark, coming off of a loss against Arkansas State on Saturday, while Little Rock enters 12-9, coming off an 88-82 loss to the Ragin Cajuns on Saturday.

UL-Lafayette takes on Arkansas State tonight. Mississippi Valley State is at Grambling.

Spring practice begins today for college baseball teams. Expectations are high as usual at LSU as the Tigers are ranked in the top five in preseason polls. Coach Paul Mainieri says he can understand why…
cut 30 (19) “…this team”
Opening day is Friday February 17th against Air Force.

At the LHSAA convention, principals rejected a proposal that would combine Class B and C with Class 1A. It was an attempt to cut down on the number of playoff brackets in sports that have a split postseason. Principals also did not vote for the “elite team” proposal which would force dominating teams to play up in class.

Conference USA has suspended Louisiana Tech’s Jacobi Boykins and UAB’s Hakeem Baxter for one game for fighting. Those two exchanged punches that resulted in both benches emptying out onto the floor. If you leave the bench, it’s an automatic ejection, so Tech finished last night’s loss to the Blazers with just four players. Boykins will not be availble for tomorrow night’s game against Middle Tennessee.

LSU will try to snap a six-game losing streak on Saturday when they visit Texas Tech as part of the SEC-Big 12 Challenge. LSU is allowing 81 points a game and they are ranked 327 out of 351 Division one teams in that category.

Pelicans All-Star Anthony Davis says he expects to play tonight as New Orleans hosts San Antonio. Davis has been bothered by a right thigh bruise. The Spurs have the second best record in the Western Conference, while the Pels have lost three of their last four at home. Tip-off is at 7 PM.

The LHSAA principals voted against a plan that would reduce the number of championship games in the non-select—select playoffs. It was overwhelming defeated. It was proposed by Iowa principal Mike Oakley who says he was trying to reduce the number of teams who receive a bye and create a more spirited postseason in the sports impacted by the split…
cut 17 (14) “…in January”

In football recruiting, LSU has received a commitment from four-star linebacker Jacob Phillips from Nahsville. He de-committed from Oklahoma. And Jennings running back Travis Etienne says he’ll sign with Clemson and play in the real Death Valley.

Tonight in the NBA…Anthony Davis says he expects to play against the San Antonio Spurs despite a painful right thigh bruise.

Expectations are high in Baton Rouge as LSU begins full squad workouts today. The Tigers return their two top starting pitchers, Alex Lange and Jared Poche, and Tiger Rag Associate editor James Moran says Erick Walker from Texas has the best shot of the incoming freshmen to become the Sunday starter…
cut 18 (12) “…for strikes”
LSU is ranked third in the USA Today Coaches Preseason poll, while the Ragin Cajuns are ranked 16th.

Waiting to see if there will be any suspensions as a result of last night’s mini-brawl between Louisiana Tech and UAB. All the players left the Bulldogs bench to be part of the melee and leaving the bench is an automatic ejection. So Tech played with just four players for the final six minutes and lost to the Blazers 79-70.

In college hoops Louisiana Tech had a game for the ages last night that ended with just four Bulldogs standing on the court, one coach and one trainer on the bench. Tech ended up losing 79-70 to UAB in a contest that included a bench clearing fight; causing the ejection of 8 players each from both teams. Protocol in a situation like this is to remove everyone who broke the rule by leaving the bench. Tech was outnumbered in the end as UAB had six players finish the game.

The Nicholls State University men’s basketball team was unable to hang on to an eight-point second-half lead against Houston Baptist University in a 83-80 setback Thursday night on the road.

Also last night, UNO took control early in a 75-56 victory over McNeese State.

In the NBA, Tonight a struggling Pelicans team will tip-off against the Spurs in the Smoothie King Center. Anthony Davis is officially listed as questionable for the game.

High school principals will vote today on a plan that would reduce the number of state football championships from nine to seven. Iowa (Eye-oh-way) principal Mike Oakley says the proposal will also reduce the number of title games in basketball, baseball and softball..:
Cut 16 (17) “strain on em”
The vote takes place at the LHSAA convention in Baton Rouge.

In recruiting news, Travis Etienne, a four-star running back out of Jennings High School, has committed to Clemson over LSU. The announcement came the same day linebacker Jacob Phillips flipped his commitment from Oklahoma to LSU.

Former LSU cornerback Tre’Davious White won’t play in tomorrow’s Senior Bowl after he sprained his ankle during practice this week.

The LSU baseball team is No. 3 in the 2017 USA Today preseason coaches poll released Thursday, marking the Tigers’ fifth Top 5 preseason ranking.

The best inside linebacker in the country has decided to decommit from Oklahoma and sign with LSU next week. Jacob Phillips is from Nashville, Tennessee, and rated as a five-star prospect by Rivals-dot-com. Sam Spielgman of SEC Country says it’s not a surprise Phillips made the switch…
cut 30 (08) “…home”
National signing day is on Wednesday and the Tigers could finish with a class ranked in the Top 5.

Former LSU cornerback Tre’ Davious White suffered a minor ankle injury and will not play in Saturday’s Senior Bowl.

Louisiana Tech’s football schedule was released today. The Bulldogs will host Northwestern State and Mississippi State to begin the season. In league play, they’ll host Southern Miss on October 21st and the final regular season game of the year will now be Texas-San Antonio and that will be a home game.

Louisiana Tech men’s basketball begins a two-game road trip tonight where they face two of the best teams in Conference USA. Saturday it’s Middle Tennessee and tonight it’s UAB. Bulldogs Coach Eric Konkol says handling the Blazers pressure will be a key…
cut 20 (20) “…good shape”
Tip-off is at 8 PM.

LSU basketball hit a new low last night with a 35-point loss to Florida, worst home defeat since 1963. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham expects Athletic Director Joe Alleva will fire coach Johnny Jones at the end of the season, with two years left on his contract…
cut 5 (11) “…will do”

LSU men’s baskeball coach Johnny Jones apologized for how his team played in night’s embarrassing 35-point defeat to 25th ranked Florida. It was the Tigers sixth straight loss and they are now 1-7 in the SEC. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham believes Jones’ tenure as LSU’s head coach will come to an end soon…
cut 3 (08) “…are off”
Worsham says it will cost LSU 800-thousand to buy out the remaining two years of his contract.

Northwestern State ended Southeastern Louisiana’s 16-game home winning streak last night as the Demons downed the Lions 85-71.

The Pelicans failed to folow up Monday’s great win over Cleveland with another win. Oklahoma City thumped the Pels 114 to 105.

Louisiana Tech’s football schedule was released today as the Bulldogs begin their 12-game slate by hosting Northwestern State and Mississippi State. Tech’s first conference game will be September 16th at Western Kentucky, who defeated the Bulldogs in last year’s Conference USA title game.

In college basketball tonight…the Dunkin Dogs are at UAB for the start of a difficult two game road trip which will conclude on Saturday against Middle Tennessee. Tech has won four in a row and they are getting good play from Erik McCree, who is averaging 17 points a game. Coach Eric Konkol says the senior from Orlando is doing a little bit of everything…
cut 19 (15) “….on the court”
Tip-off is at 8 PM and it can be seen on CST.

LSU announces that will retire the jersey of All-American second baseman Todd Walker on April 14th prior to the tigers game versus Ole Miss.

The LSU men’s basketball team dropped an ugly one last night in the PMAC to SEC rival Florida. The Gators made a school record 19 three-pointers in a 106-71 win over the Tigers. With the loss, LSU falls to 1-7 in conference play.

Louisiana Tech begins a difficult road trip tonight in Birmingham as they visit the UAB Blazers, the defending regular season champs in Conference USA. The Bulldogs bring a season-high four-game winning streak into tonight’s contest and Head Coach Eric Konkol credits tough defense for his team’s recent winning ways..:
Cut 18 (14) “as well”
The Bulldogs are led by Erik McCree, who is averaging 17 points a game.

Also tonight, McNeese State is at UNO and Nicholls State travels to face Houston Baptist.

More college hoops, Northwestern State snapped Southeastern’s 16-game home winning streak with an 85-74 Southland Conference victory Wednesday in Hammond. The Lions went into the game with the 10th-longest home court win streak in the nation.

In the NBA, Anthony Davis was back on the floor, but the Pels struggled throughout the game against The Thunder and New Orleans ended up falling to OKC 114-105. The loss drops The Pelicans to 2 and a half games back of the NO 8 seed in the Western Conference standings.

The Senior Bowl takes place Saturday at 1:30 in Mobile Alabama. Saints GM Mickey Loomis was asked about the possibility of signing Drew Brees to another extension; Loomis brushed it off saying Brees has already said he plans to play out his final year then they’d go from there. The Saints are taking Seniors off-site for interviews. A source says they signed long snapper Jesse Schmitt of Purdue on Wednesday.

Former LSU coach Les Miles will be part of ESPN’s national signing day coverage on February first.